Bioanalytical investigation of asarone in connection with Acorus calamus oil intoxications.
J Anal Toxicol
; 33(9): 604-9, 2009.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20040135
ABSTRACT
Preparations of the plant Acorus calamus (calamus or sweet flag) (A. calamus) are available via internet trade and marketed as being hallucinogenic. In 2003-2006, the Swedish Poisons Information Centre received inquiries about 30 clinical cases of intentional intoxication with A. calamus products. The present investigation aimed to identify alpha- and beta-asarone, considered active components of A. calamus, and metabolites thereof in urine samples collected in seven of these cases. To further aid the identification of asarone biotransformation products, a calamus oil preparation was incubated with the fungus Cunninghamella elegans, which is used as a microbial model of mammalian drug metabolism. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis in selected ion monitoring mode, alpha-asarone was detected in five urine samples at concentrations ranging between approximately 11 and 1150 microg/L and beta-asarone in four of those at approximately 22-220 microg/L. A previously identified asarone metabolite, trans-2,4,5-trimethoxycinnamic acid (trans-TMC), was detected in the fungus broth by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry whereas cis-TMC was tentatively identified in the human urine samples. Using GC-MS, a hydroxylated asarone metabolite was identified both in fungus broth and urine samples. However, this study demonstrated no evidence for the presence of 2,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine, claimed as a hallucinogenic component of A. calamus. The main clinical symptom reported by the patients was prolonged vomiting that sometimes lasted more than 15 h.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Plant Oils
/
Acorus
/
Hallucinogens
/
Anisoles
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
J Anal Toxicol
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Sweden